"so it's possible that both endings are cannon.. but only one directly connects to sh1 story wise."

And it's POSSIBLE that the Good + ending is canon in SH1, as we never learn that she died in SH3. But most people consider the Good ending to be canon, as it ties in best with Silent Hill 3. Same goes for this game. The fact that the scene with Harry is included in the Good ending would suggest it is, in fact, the important and therefore canon one.

The two endings can't both be canon - We know Travis escaped, and we know that the events leading to SH1 are put into the motion at the end of the Good ending. As we never hear mention of Cheryl or Harry in the Bad ending, and Travis doesn't escape, it's pretty safe to assume that it wasn't meant to be taken as canon.

After all, this IS the prequel to the first game. What's the point of the true ending being the one that doesn't show Harry and Cheryl's origins?

Well I agree with that, however Travis even though he did escape from silent hill.. who's to say that perhaps he didnt have continued nightmares about his past after leaving silent hill.. I mean the town's influence can and has spread beyond the town.. and even in the bad ending it doesnt really tell you weather or not Travis is even still in silent hill or not. I mean all you see is him strapped to a gurney hearing audio flashbacks and squirming.. plus it's fact that the Butcher is Travis's darkside.. i mean even know he killed the butcher.. that's only a reflection of Travis's mind.

So yes He escapes.. but I"m sure that the influence of the town followed him.I mean I dont know of anyone in the past games.. that ever escaped Silent Hill.. and we know that Travis escaped.. but we dont know that hell perhaps when he got home where ever that may be..The bad ending could be a dream that Travis was having after having left the town.. it doesnt really tell us one way or the other.

When we see that ending, Travis may have been laying in bed somewhere.. and dreaming all that shit... and while he was dreaming all that stuff.. harry and his wife find the newly born Cheryl It is possible.. I'm not saying it's a fact.. but this theory is possible.

Or perhaps they find the baby.. while travis is driving on the road.. and of course at the beginning of the game we hear Travs say that he's beat and is wanting to pull off the road. Well I'm sure after dealing with what he was dealing with.. he probably did make it to Brahms after Alessa allowed him to leave the town.. but Perhaps while pulled off the side of the road somewhere.. maybe even while asleep in his truck He may have been dreaming what we are seeing in the bad ending.

_________________The only way for evil to continue, is for good men to do nothing!!!!

mean I dont know of anyone in the past games.. that ever escaped Silent Hill..

What about Harry? We know from SH3 what some of his experiences were after he left, and we also get some insight into his thought process.
We know it changed him as a person, but he didn't go insane, or become murderous. He certainly left the town for real, so thereâ€™s no reason why Travis didnâ€™t.

It's obvious that people can, and have, escaped the town for good after being there.

that is true, but even if they leave the town.. the town still has a huge impact on them for life. So who's to say that perhaps Travis didnt have a huge impact as well.. still battling his inner demons in his nightmares.. dreaming that he's the butcher and that someone is toying with his mind that sorta thing.

But another thing i'd like to point out.. at the very end of the game.. when the Flauros demon has been defeated.. you see Travis just laying there.. while the cult watches as the demon splits Alessa's soul in two.. but you never see Travis actually leave either really.. and why would the cult allow him to just leave.. after what he had witnessed.. I mean he just witnessed the attempted murder of a child.. so.. there's another thing that leaves me with many questions.. why would the cult just let Travis leave.. I mean all we see after the baby goes into Alessa.. is Travis still laying there.. then it goes to either the good ending.. or the bad ending.. there's nothing shown between to tell us one way or the other what exactly happens.. I mean yes.. we hear Harry and his wife talking about the baby.. but if you notice also.. we dont really see Travis driving.. all we see is static on what appears to be a radio.. but did anyone notice that on the screen when the radio messages are playing.. it's all red.. and looks like a fetus ?

I believe that there are still many unanswered questions here.. and being that there is nothing between the soul of Alessa splitting.. and Travis dropping to the floor again after defeating the demon. I'm not saying that Travis didnt leave the town.. he probably did.. but there's no concrete evidence to suggest that he did really leave the town. Hell perhaps he only thought he left the town.. having defeated his own demons and getting redemption for himself after facing his fears and such..

but still.. to say one way or the other.. that Yes he left or didnt leave is wrong.. because none of these have been proven yet beyond a reasonable doubt. I know that everyone would like to believe that oh yes Travis just magically leaves the town. and the cult leaves him alone blah blah blah.. but that doesnt make sense to me.. usually if someone attempts to murder someone.. and someone else knows anything about it.. they're going to try and stop that person from escaping and telling any outside parties about such a thing right?

I think you should really thing that ending over.. and really thing before saying for a fact about anything.. I'm not saying that what Im' saying is fact either.. because face it.. none of us really know beyond a shadow of a doubt.

_________________The only way for evil to continue, is for good men to do nothing!!!!

that is true, but even if they leave the town.. the town still has a huge impact on them for life. So who's to say that perhaps Travis didnt have a huge impact as well..

I pretty much said that in regards to Harry. Yes - you escape the town physically, but not so much mentally. I personally just take the Bad ending more literally than you do - my way of thinking is that if it's a bad ending, it's actually, you know, bad, and not just a bad dream.

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they're going to try and stop that person from escaping and telling any outside parties about such a thing right?

Again, Harry escaped. He didn't go blabbing, did he? Who would believe Travis, even if he told people? I doubt the Cult would be concerned, they've managed cover-ups before, such is my understanding.

Well I agree with that, however Travis even though he did escape from silent hill.. who's to say that perhaps he didnt have continued nightmares about his past after leaving silent hill.. I mean the town's influence can and has spread beyond the town

Not until like, SH3 though.

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So yes He escapes.. but I"m sure that the influence of the town followed him.I mean I dont know of anyone in the past games.. that ever escaped Silent Hill

that is true, but even if they leave the town.. the town still has a huge impact on them for life. So who's to say that perhaps Travis didnt have a huge impact as well.. still battling his inner demons in his nightmares.. dreaming that he's the butcher and that someone is toying with his mind that sorta thing.

Well, yea, but you can say that about any tragic event. "I'm a Nam survivor." "Nuh uh, you still have teh dreams!"

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But another thing i'd like to point out.. at the very end of the game.. when the Flauros demon has been defeated.. you see Travis just laying there.. while the cult watches as the demon splits Alessa's soul in two.. but you never see Travis actually leave either really.. and why would the cult allow him to just leave.. after what he had witnessed.. I mean he just witnessed the attempted murder of a child.. so.. there's another thing that leaves me with many questions.. why would the cult just let Travis leave.. I mean all we see after the baby goes into Alessa.. is Travis still laying there.. then it goes to either the good ending.. or the bad ending.. there's nothing shown between to tell us one way or the other what exactly happens.. I mean yes.. we hear Harry and his wife talking about the baby.. but if you notice also.. we dont really see Travis driving.. all we see is static on what appears to be a radio.. but did anyone notice that on the screen when the radio messages are playing.. it's all red.. and looks like a fetus ?

...um...how can they stop him from leaving? He can hop dimensions and if the effects on his truck are any indicator, Alessa is personally making sure he gets out safely.

...um...how can they stop him from leaving? He can hop dimensions and if the effects on his truck are any indicator, Alessa is personally making sure he gets out safely.

Well, if someone had stayed behind at the ceremony, which they probably didn't, they probably could have attacked Travis/Captured Travis while Alessa's soul is being split. I mean, that's gotta be painful and draining, won't it? So she couldn't have defended him.
So, maybe, for the bad ending, one of the cult members got his/her hands on Travis and they captured him, then put him in that crazy little room? (I don't think the cult was there during the bad ending; I'm just stating the possibility)

Please excuse me while I take my foot out of my mouth. xD
Well, that works out almost perfectly: Maybe for the Bad Ending, a cultist stays behind and kidnaps Travis while he's asleep. Alessa's soul is still split, and Cheryl still gets to Harry and his wife, so the over-all continuity of the games aren't really affected.

I choose to believe that the Bad ending's basically just there for fun, but I do concede they've deliberately (and cautiously) engineered it so that if a person got the Bad Ending it wouldn't ruin the continuity of the game. In saying that, I definitely agree with you that it doesn't ruin the continuity.

Like I already said, I think that the sheer emphasis placed on continuity means that the Good ending is supposed to be taken as the 'true' one, but it doesnâ€™t really make a difference either way.

[spoiler] The Bad ending, to me, leans more towards the Order, and more likely Kaufman, getting revenge on Travis for his meddling. He was captured at the end instead of escaping. They have him locked up in Cedar Grove, injecting him with some drugs to twist his mind.

I say this because the gurney he is on is grungy and bloody as opposed to clean. If we were supposed to realize Travis was/is insane, I believe we would have had a flash of him in the 'real' sanitarium.[/spoiler]

_________________"What is THIS? What are these...things! Why won't you leave me alone?!"

[spoiler] The Bad ending, to me, leans more towards the Order, and more likely Kaufman, getting revenge on Travis for his meddling. He was captured at the end instead of escaping. They have him locked up in Cedar Grove, injecting him with some drugs to twist his mind.

I say this because the gurney he is on is grungy and bloody as opposed to clean. If we were supposed to realize Travis was/is insane, I believe we would have had a flash of him in the 'real' sanitarium.[/spoiler]

He could be? Well in the reflection it looks like him in a normal white straight jacket with a normal room.